New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has decided to extend the state’s coronavirus restrictions for at least another month. Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the lockdown will be continued until the middle of May. Also, the Mississippi mayor who banned drive-in church services has rescinded his order after an intervention by the Department of Justice.
In other news, the Greek government announced that it will expand the fence along its border with Turkey.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Another 5.2m Americans Filed for Unemployment Last Week, Bringing 1-Month Total to 22m
5.2 million more Americans filed for unemployment last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, bringing the one-month total number of U.S. citizens filing for jobless benefits to a staggering 22 million.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID-19 and the War on Cash: What is Behind the Push for a Cashless Society?
Physical cash is no longer king.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Dow Futures Rally 700 Points After Report Says Gilead Drug Showing Effectiveness Against Coronavirus
U.S. stock futures surged on Thursday night after a report said a Gilead Sciences drug was showing effectiveness in treating the coronavirus. The move pointed to a jump for the stock market on Friday.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 765 points, or about 3.3%. S&P 500 futures gained 2.9% while Nasdaq 100 futures were up by 2.1%.
Gilead shares jumped by 14% in after-hours trading after STAT news reported that a Chicago hospital treating coronavirus patients with Remdesivir in a trial were recovering rapidly from severe symptoms. The publication cited a video it obtained where the trial results were discussed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Neumeyer: “This is the Perfect Storm! Governments Have Put Themselves Into a Corner”
Keith Neumeyer recently sat down for an interview with Crush the Street and made it clear that mints are being overwhelmed by the demand for silver. Neumeyer also opined on the government’s response to the pandemic saying “governments can’t keep businesses closed.”
And we’d agree with him. At some point, even if restrictions are never lifted, people will leave their homes to look for work. Humans cannot be locked up house arrest for much longer, and have already been asked to endure too much. Neumeyer said “already they [the government] are destroying small businesses…” and “governments can’t prevent everyone from going bankrupt.”
Unfortunately, the big corporations will be fine and come out even bigger as the small businesses go under and are no longer able to stay in business. This is crony corporatism at it’s finest. Neumeyer says the government has overreacted and caused massive damage that cannot be undone.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The $349 Billion Small Business Loan Program is Now Out of Money
The Trump administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses slammed by coronavirus has run out of funds, hitting the $349 billion initial allotment Thursday morning, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA).
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Government Increased National Debt by More Than $84 Billion Before COVID-19
Instead of reducing the debt when the economy was growing as the Chrétien government did, the current federal government has actually increased the national debt by $84.3 billion before any COVID-19 spending is accounted for, according to new analysis by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Amazon Boss Jeff Bezos Adds $24bn to Fortune
The founder and boss of Amazon has seen his wealth swell by $24bn (£19bn) after soaring demand for online shopping sent the firm’s share price to a new high. Jeff Bezos now has a fortune of $138bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, cementing his position as the world’s richest man.
[Comment: No. The Rothschilds are the richest; their net worth is in the trillions.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Antifa Leader Issues Violent Death Threat to Journalist Andy Ngo
A prominent member of Portland’s Rose City antifa went on a profanity-laced tirade against Andy Ngo on his podcast, making some disturbing threats against the journalist and Post Millennial editor-at-large.
Luis Marquez, a leader in America’s most infamous, and arguably most active, antifa community, hosts a podcast titled Jungle to Jungle. On the most recent episode of the podcast, Marquez lashed out at Ngo stating he was “responsible for violence,” though not specifying what violence or when Ngo allegedly incited it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Natasha Rayne had flown to Ohio from the UK to meet her new born twins who were born four weeks early on March 20 to the same Ohio surrogate who carried twins for Sarah Jessica Parker.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
CNN on its website has not yet covered the recent sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden, even though Biden’s accuser went public several weeks ago with an allegation of sexual assault against the Democratic presidential candidate.
The network does not appear to have covered the allegations in any detail whatsoever on its website. A site-wide search indicates that it has not yet mentioned by nameBiden’s most recent accuser, Tara Reade.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk: “What I Find Most Surprising is That CNN Still Exists”
Elon Musk called out CNN for erroneously reporting that more than 1,000 ventilators sent by Tesla to California hospitals hadn’t been received while expressing his surprise that the news network “still exists.”
Last month, Musk said in a tweet that he had obtained the ventilators due to China having an oversupply and would be shipping them free to hospitals that required them.
CNN published a story claiming that “none of the promised ventilators have been received by hospitals,” citing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
Musk responded by tweeting, “What I find most surprising is that CNN still exists.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gov. Cuomo Extends NY’s Lockdown for at Least Another Month
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that the state’s lockdown rules will be extended for at least another month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lockdown-Backlash Begins: Angry Crowd Surrounds Capitol, Demands Michigan Governor Reopen Economy
How long until Operation Gridlock spreads to other US cities?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Michigan Sheriffs Vow Not to Enforce Governor’s Lockdown Rules
Several sheriffs in Michigan have vowed not to enforce Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s far-reaching lockdown order, a sign of further dissent and popular opposition to the governor’s extreme shutdown policies.
In a letter released on Wednesday, sheriffs from four different Michigan counties said that Whitmer has “overstepped her executive authority” and “created a vague framework of emergency laws that only confuse Michigan citizens.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mississippi Mayor Revokes Ban on Drive-in Church Services After DOJ Intervention
Greenville, Mississippi Mayor Errick Simmons on Wednesday announced that he would be revoking his ban on drive-in church services after the U.S. Department of Justice intervened.
The DOJ filed a statement of interest in support of Temple Baptist Church after Simmons instituted an executive order that banned all drive-in worship services.
Simmons, however, credited his reversal to a private conversation he had with Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Earth-Sized Planet Discovered 300 Light-Years Away Could Support Life
A new, Earth-size exoplanet has been discovered in old data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope — and scientists say this world has the potential to support life.
The rocky exoplanet, known as Kepler-1649c, is only 1.06 times larger than Earth and is located about 300 light-years away, according to a new study released Wednesday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Out of all the exoplanets found by the now-retired Kepler space telescope, Kepler-1649c is the closest to our planet in size and estimated temperature.
The exoplanet orbits a red dwarf star within the so-called “habitable zone,” the area of space around a star in which liquid water could exist on a rocky world.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Mexico Megachurch Files Lawsuit Against State Over Policy Limiting Gatherings to 5 or Fewer
A New Mexico megachurch is suing the state for violating its First Amendment rights by limiting gatherings to five or fewer people during the coronavirus pandemic.
Legacy Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is accusing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of targeting churches with her amended order limiting gatherings to no more than five people effective at 5 p.m. the evening before Easter Sunday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
North Dakota Governor Issues Guidelines to Reopen State May 1: Statement
NEW YORK (Reuters) — North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum issued guidelines for reopening the state as soon as May 1 in a statement issued late Wednesday, according to a statement from his office.
The state’s commerce department will work with business associations to develop new safety procedures for a gradual, safe reopening, according to a statement issued by his office.
Safety measures could include daily disinfection, mandatory health protocols, and limits on the number of customers who can enter a business.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ohio Governor Announces Economic Reopening Starting May 1
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was one of the first governors to start closing down his state when the coronavirus hit, but now he’s offering one of the first economic reopenings in the nation.
DeWine, a Republican, announced Thursday that Ohio will begin to reopensome of its businesses on May 1. The governor has a stay-at-home order in place until May 1 and opted not to extend it as he begins to roll out his plan for relaxing some of the social distancing guidelines.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pelosi Rages at Trump’s ‘Illegal’ Decision to Defund WHO
President Donald Trump’s decision to pull funding from the World Health Organization is welcome news to Americans tired of the United States dumping money into a pro-China group.
While many taxpayers see the change as a good thing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi raged against defunding the WHO as a “dangerous” and “illegal” move.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Protests Erupt Nationwide as Americans Call to Reopen the Economy
Weeks-long economic standstill has workers frayed to their last nerve.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The Remarkable Doctor A. Fauci
What major media conveniently leave out is his highly controversial and conflicted history since he first joined NIAID in 1984 during the beginnings of the AIDS panic.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
This University is Offering Credit for Learning to Play Dungeons and Dragons
Castleton University in Vermont is offering college credit to students for learning how to play Dungeons and Dragons.
Greg Engel, an assistant professor in the Psychology Department, will pilot a virtual course on how to play the popular tabletop game.
“There is strong evidence of the benefits of having healthy recreation opportunities. It’s something that isn’t built into our society. Making time for hobbies can help reduce stress, improve health, and performance in other areas, such as family, work and school,” Engel reasoned.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“We are doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Trump: Data Suggests Coronavirus in U.S. Has Peaked, Some States Could Reopen by May 1
President Trump said on Wednesday that data suggests that the U.S. has passed the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and that some states could reopen before May 1.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CBC Instructs Kids on How to Shut Down Their Parents’ “Conspiracy Theories”
A CBC News report gives kids advice on how to shut down “conspiracy theories” voiced by their parents about coronavirus being created by China in a lab.
Because apparently that’s the media’s job now.
The presenter laments how somebody’s Dad may drop a message into chat blaming China for “manufacturing the coronavirus” with a “link to a site you’ve never heard of” (translation — a link that’s not, God forbid, mainstream media).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Plan to Start Reopening Saskatchewan Could Come Next Week
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says a plan to reopen the province’s economy could be released next week, but only if the number of new COVID-19 cases remains low.
Moe said in his daily news conference on Monday that the release of a plan called Reopen Saskatchewan would depend on continued low case counts and ramped up testing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus: Over 19,000 Dead in Spain
551 in 24 hrs, 3% stable rise in new infections
(ANSAmed) — ROME, APRIL 16 — Spain on Thursday recorded a total of 182,816 known infections of COVID-19 in the country, with 5,183 more over the past 24 hours.
The number is the highest daily rise since April 9.
Some 18,130 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in the country, 551 of whom in the past 24 hours, local media reported.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen in European militaries have been impacted by the coronavirus, with many confirmed troops confirmed infected and others self-isolating or otherwise unable to report for duty.
While military units and reserves across Europe have been called up to assist governments in their responses to the China coronavirus, servicemen have also been impacted in the pandemic, with 13,000 British troops out of action and a third of the whole ship’s company of France’s only aircraft carrier infected.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Lawyer Who Criticized Lockdown Arrested, Taken to Psych Ward
Claims she was violently abused by authorities for calling for protest against quarantine.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
German Lawyer Sent to Psych Ward for Organizing Protest Against COVID-19 Lockdown
In the Soviet Union, activists were sent to state psychiatric wards. According to the state, any and all opposition to government policy was considered a form of mental illness.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Still Too Much Free Speech, Says the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recently published its sixth monitoring report on Germany. Even though Germany has some of the most repressive hate speech laws in Europe, ECRI decided that, according to it, Germany is still not doing enough.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Plans 1st Steps to Restart Public Life
BERLIN (AP) — Germany plans to let smaller shops reopen next week after a weeks-long coronavirus shutdown and to start reopening schools in early May, but Europe’s biggest economy is keeping strict social distancing rules in place for now.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Following “Diabolical Plan” For Coronavirus Aid, Italian MEP Says
An Italian MEP is claiming that Germany is manipulating the Netherlands to pursue its own interests in the European Union’s economic response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
As the EU member states are facing an unprecedented crisis amidst the ongoing lockdowns that have been enacted in an effort to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, they have failed on four occasions thus far to reach a financial deal that is acceptable to all members. Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain are calling for the Eurozone to issue so-called “coronabonds” which would offer aid to the bloc’s members and spread the debt across all of them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Coronavirus: Doctor Death Toll Rises to 116
FNOMCEO reports four more deaths among physicians
(ANSA) — Rome, April 14 — The death toll from the coronavirus among Italy’s doctors rose to 116 Tuesday as four more physicians died.
The federation of Italian doctors guilds FNOMCEO said the latest victims were Luigi Ciriotti (retired family doctor, not working), Sebastiano Carbè (retired doctor, not working), Maurizio Bertaccini (family doctor), and Domenico Fatica (dentist).
The toll includes retired doctors who have returned to duty amid the virus crisis.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Coronavirus: Police Raid Lombardy Govt in Care Home Probe
Investigation centres on Pio Albergo Trivulzio,other Milan homes
(ANSA) — Milan, April 15 — Italian tax police on Wednesday raided the offices of the Lombardy regional government in a probe into the coronavirus-related deaths of elderly residents of care homes across the northern region.
The probe is centred on the Pio Albergo Trivulzio care home in Milan, where 143 residents have died since the start of the virus emergency. It also involves other care homes in Milan and across the region.
Finance police said they were looking for directives from the regional government on these homes, where scores of residents have died and directors are suspected of culpable negligence.
NAS health and hygiene police said Wednesday that of 600 care homes inspected across Italy, 17% of them had been found to present irregularities.
Norms were not respected in 104 centres, and 15 of them closed down. Patients were moved elsewhere.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Coronavirus: Neapolitans Hold Barbecue in School Grounds
‘What’s wrong with this city’ says local official
(ANSA) — Naples, April 15 — A group of Neapolitans broke into a school where they held a barbecue in the grounds on Easter Monday flouting coronavirus lockdown rules, a local official said Wednesday.
“You are what’s wrong with this city,” said the president of the III municipality, Ivo Poggiani.
Police are trying to trace the people, who carried tables and chairs out of the school building to hold their Easter Monday party.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Rome Mayor Uses Drone to Hunt Down, Fine Jogger During Lockdown
ROME — Rome mayor Virginia Raggi boasted on social media this week that she used a drone to track down and eventually fine a jogger who violated the coronavirus lockdown.
On Easter Monday in Rome, local police carried out more than 14,000 checks and issued 162 sanctions, Ms. Raggi has tweeted, adding that a runner on Rome’s Appian Way tried to evade police but was tracked down with a drone and fined.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
London and Brussels Agree to Resume Trade Deal Talks Next Week
British and EU negotiators have agreed to continue Brexit trade talks via videoconferencing due to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
The UK’s senior negotiator David Frost and the EU’s counterpart Michel Barnier agreed in discussions on Wednesday to start the next round of negotiations in the week commencing the 20th of April, with the subsequent cycles to take place in the weeks beginning the 11th of May and the 1st of June.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
One Year Later, Cause of Notre Dame Fire Remains a Mystery
One year after a fire nearly destroyed the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the cause of the blaze remains a mystery.
On April 15, 2019, the 850 year old gothic building was engulfed in flames, sending its iconic spire crumbling to the ground.
Despite police initially asserting that an electrical short circuit was the probable cause of the fire, Europe Echaffaudage said that the electricity supply to the two lifts on the site “was perfectly within specifications and well maintained.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Hungary is 4th Safest Country in Europe Amid Coronavirus
Hungary is the fourth safest country in Europe in terms of coronavirus protective measures, the Hong Kong-based Deep Knowledge Group’s research chart indicates.
Deep Knowledge Group’s ranking system was complied through a dozen different factors, including country safety, country risk, supportive measures from governments, and companies using artificial intelligence in combat the pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The EU Has Failed Europe Over Coronavirus
The deepening divisions among European nations over their response to the coronavirus pandemic have highlighted the inability of the European Union to provide strong and effective leadership in times of crisis.
Faced with arguably the greatest challenge Europe has faced since the end of the Second World War, the EU’s failure to help coordinate the actions of the 27-nation bloc in tackling Covid-19 has once again brought the organisation’s institutional failings into sharp focus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Police Accuse Journalist of “Killing People” For Filming Them in a Park
A video clip shows police officers in London accusing a journalist of “killing people” for filming them in a park.
The incident began when journalist Michael Segalov witnessed an encounter between a woman and police during which the officers appeared to be harassing her.
He began recording the confrontation on his phone but was soon surrounded by several officers, one of whom told him, “You’re killing people. Go home,” while clearly standing closer than social distancing rules mandate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: 99-Year-Old Veteran Raises Over £3 Million for NHS
A 99-year-old British veteran who challenged himself to walk 100 lengths of his garden has raised more than £3 million for the NHS in just over half a day.
Tom Moore, who served in India and Burma, originally set out to raise £1,000 — but a burst of donations on Tuesday saw that sum pledged on average every 20 seconds, Politicalite reports.
The fundraiser had topped £1 million as of 9am on Tuesday, before surpassing £4 million as of 11pm.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Muslim Population Will Triple Within 30 Years
A study by the Pew Research Centre suggests that the Muslim population of the United Kingdom will triple within the next 30 years.
The model, which assumed median migration levels during this period (with migration continuing but the influx of refugees stopping), showed that the number of Muslims would increase from 4.1 million in 2016 to 13 million by 2050, as reported by The Telegraph. This will amount to 16.7% of the total population, and will give the UK the highest overall population of Muslims in Europe. It is currently behind France and Germany in that regard.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Women Who Left Victim With Brain Damage for No Reason Sentenced
Two women who assaulted another woman for no reason in Birmingham last year, leaving her with permanent brain damage, have been given prison sentences in Birmingham Crown Court.
Atiyyah Gidden, 21, and Savannah Ward, 23, were with a group of their friends on a bus going from Nechells into Birmingham city centre one evening last May when the victim, who was with a friend, boarded the same vehicle. The two groups sat across from each other.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK’s Five Tests to Lift the Lockdown Revealed, As Measures Extended Another Three Weeks
Britain’s stand-in Prime Minister, First Secretary Raab, has announced the nationwide shutdown has been formally extended by another three weeks, and has revealed the five tests the government has set to trigger an easing of restrictions.
Speaking from the Prime Minister’s residence of 10 Downing Street Thursday afternoon as he led the government’s daily coronavirus response press conference, First Secretary of State Dominic Raab — in usual times the Foreign Secretary — said the government had decided to extend the coronavirus lockdown.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netanyahu Rival Fails to Form Government, 4th Israeli Election in One Year Likely
The deadline for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief political rival to form a government elapsed Wednesday, increasing the chances the nation will be headed toward an unprecedented fourth election in little over a year.
Last-minute talks between Netanyahu and the Blue and White alliance’s leader Benny Gantz failed to form a coalition for Israel’s next government, as well as failing to form a national “emergency” government with Netanyahu. This means the task of forming the government will now return to the Israeli parliament for a period of 21 days.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Forces and Russia-Backed Rebels Exchange Prisoners
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels exchanged 34 prisoners Thursday in the latest trade aimed at creating conditions that could lead to the end of the six-year war in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian president’s office said.
Ukraine took back 20 of its citizens in the swap with the two separatist entities in the rebel-controlled east, according to a statement from the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Fourteen rebels were released in exchange.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Apple Will Start Reopening Its Retail Stores, Beginning With South Korea Location
Apple said on Thursday that it would reopen its retail store in Seoul, South Korea, this week as part of a broader push to resume physical retail operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Bloomberg. There are no concrete plans yet to reopen stores elsewhere, although Apple has said in the past that it could start reopening stores in the US sometime in May.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus Racism: Chinese City Bans Black People From Hotels, Apartments, Restaurants
African residents of Guangzhou, southern China, reportedly found themselves sleeping on the street this week as renters arbitrarily evicted them, hotels banned them, and restaurants refused to serve them food.
The Africans — many businessmen, students, and others from places like Nigeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe — say they are also being subject to arbitrary coronavirus testing and still shunned when they test negative. Many have spent years in China without leaving, unlike their Chinese neighbors, making the Communist Party’s explanation that travelers from abroad require more isolation and testing to prevent “imported” cases of Chinese coronavirus not applicable.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Announces Campaign to Fight “Harmful Misinformation” About COVID-19
Facebook on Thursday announced a campaign to combat “harmful misinformation” about the coronavirus, a joint operation it is undertaking in partnership with the World Health Organization.
The social media company says it will present users with a pop-up from the WHO when they interact with COVID-19 content the site has deemed misleading. The website wants to counteract a variety of claims, including that COVID-19 can be spread through mosquito bites, that cold weather can kill the disease, and that 5G mobile networks spread the virus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Fact-Checker Accused of Bias After Sourced Expert Has Ties to Wuhan Bio Lab
Some of the third-party fact-checkers Facebook hires don’t appear to be trustworthy judges.
Investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson said that she discovered Facebook is censoring a documentary looking into whether coronavirus might have originated in a Wuhan lab, by using a fact-checker who “worked at Wuhan lab with Chinese communists.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fake News Sites Told You Distrusting China Over Coronavirus Was ‘Dangerous’
Now that numerous virology experts are on record as saying it cannot be dismissed, and multiple government and intelligence sources have confirmed that investigations are underway into the possibility that the coronavirus leaked from an unsafe Wuhan bio-lab and China lied about the true scale of the outbreak, here is a timely reminder of the scores of fake news outlets that for weeks and months dismissed both notions as a ‘baseless conspiracy theories’.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Memos Leaked to AP Show China Knew COVID-19 Was ‘Likely Severe Pandemic’ While WHO Said it Wasn’t
Internal Chinese government documents obtained by the Associated Press prove that Chinese Communist President Xi Jinping knew for sure that the outbreak of coronavirus in China was an “epidemic” and was highly contagious between humans in mid January, yet simultaneously China told the World Health Organization (WHO) that there was no “evidence of human-to-human transmission.”
The documents show that Xi knew that the “risk of transmission and spread” was “high” yet the Chinese government sat on the information for almost a whole week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus first crossed to humans during experiments with bats at the Wuhan Institute of Virology Lab, multiple sources who have been briefed on intelligence details told Fox News.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
New Documentary Slams Vatican Deal With Chinese Communists
ROME — A poignant new documentary on the state of Christian persecution in China blasts the Vatican’s 2018 deal with the communist government, saying it has created a “double persecution” for faithful Catholics.
Directed and produced by veteran filmmaker Elisabetta Valgiusti, the founder of Save the Monasteries, the hour-long documentary highlights the absolute control wielded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over churches, despite government claims of religious liberty.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Riot Games, Maker of League of Legends, Installs Rootkit With Their New Hit Game Valorant
If an application from a Chinese company installed a kernel driver onto your system with complete access to your computer, but they pinky-promised not to abuse this access and power, would you install the application? Well, if you’re interested in Riot Games’ new hit game Valorant, that’s exactly the question you’re going to have to answer.
Riot Games, the company behind one of the most popular games in the world, League of Legends, recently starting publicly beta testing their new game, Valorant. Two months ago, the company penned a rather condescending blog post detailing their future anti-cheat technology, which would include a Windows kernel driver (running in ring 0, in x86 parlance). Valorant is their first game using this kernel driver, and as it turns out, this kernel driver starts at boot, and due to its very nature has full system access, even when you’re not running Valorant.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Sources Tell Fox News WHO Was “Complicit” In Helping China Cover Up Coronavirus Leak From Wuhan Lab
Organization helped Beijing cover its tracks.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Surveillance Photos Hint China Knew About Outbreak Full Month Before it Lost Control, Report Says
As COVID-19 continues to affect lives around the world, one new report hints that the disease’s country of origin, China, was secretly fighting an outbreak more than a month before its failed attempt at containment allowed the virus to become a pandemic.
NBC News reported Friday that surveillance photos taken from above China in late November 2019 showed medical facilities bustling with an unusual amount of traffic.
Coupled with communication tapped by U.S. spy agencies, the evidence seems to indicate that Chinese officials are not being straightforward about the origins of the coronavirus outbreak.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
We’ve Been Lied to So They Can Control Us: COVID-19 Death Rate Much Lower Than We Were Told
Fewer people are dying from the novel coronavirus than previously estimated, according to a study from Britain published Monday in the medical journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. Governments of the world lied about the severity of the virus to enact totalitarian policies while the public cowered in fear.
In the new study, the researchers did note that people who are 50 years or older have a substantially higher risk of dying or developing severe illness from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), however, the actual death rate is .1% which is near that of the flu. The researchers gleaned their findings from a comprehensive analysis of virus cases in mainland China that they noted can be applied to other countries.
The government has been refusing to allow businesses to reopen even though it has become clear that this pandemic is not the crisis we were brainwashed into believing it was. Newly revealed tyrant, Dr. Anthony Fauci lied to the American public and grossly overstated the severity of the coronavirus. He then destroyed people’s livelihoods and crushed small businesses because of it.
The new study, however, estimated the coronavirus death rate to be as low as 0.66 percent. The government knowingly lied to force totalitarian controls on the public and panic people into giving up their natural human rights. If they didn’t, the release of this information would mean an immediate reopening of businesses. Since that hasn’t happened, it can be deduced that they are wanting to be control of when people are allowed to make money again.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Sydney broadcaster Alan Jones has addressed the campaign against him by the Global Times, an English-language mouthpiece for the Communist Party.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Scott Morrison has warned that Australia needs to brace for economic strife ahead.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Australia is aiming to use similar technology to allow health officials to check if people have been in contact with known coronavirus cases.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The video was filmed near April 15 near the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne’s CBD.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Pauline Hanson has called for the Australian government to slash its funding the the World Health Organisation over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
California Gov. OKs $125 Million Cash Stimulus for Illegals
Taxpayers to foot $75 million to non-citizens.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
‘Commander’ of New Mexico Group That Detained Migrants Near Border is Sentenced
A New Mexico man who had been described as a “commander” of a group accused of detaining migrants was sentenced to nearly two years in prison Wednesday for illegally possessing guns, prosecutors said.
Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 70, was sentenced to 21 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico said in a statement.
Hopkins pleaded guilty in January under a plea agreement and admitted to having possessed nine pistols, rifles and shotguns on Nov. 28, 2017, in San Juan County, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark to Set Up New Agency Tasked With Repatriating Illegal Migrants
The Danish government is in the process of creating a new authority whose only task will be to repatriate illegal migrants.
To fend off the increasingly popular nationalist parties in the country, the Social Democrats — the party with the most seats in Denmark’s parliament — have prioritized the expulsion of illegal migrants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dozens of Migrants Infected With Coronavirus in German and French Asylum Homes
Dozens of asylum seekers at migrant reception centres in France and Germany have confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus.
An asylum home in the German city of Ludwigshafen, located across the Rhine river from Mannheim, has reported at least 59 confirmed coronavirus cases among residents, with the facility having a population of around 170.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Leftist Politicians Call for Amnesty for Illegal Migrants to ‘Help’ Fight COVID-19
More than 100 French lawmakers have signed a letter which calls on Prime Minister Edouard Philipp to provide amnesty to all illegal migrants living in France.
The letter’s signatories — a bloc of 104 mainly leftist lawmakers — argue that the drastic action would help the country to fight the Chinese COVID-19 virus. French MPs who put their names on letter drew their inspiration from a move made late last month by the leftist Portuguese government which effectively gave amnesty to illegal immigrants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Migrants Injured After Riot in Asylum Home Under Coronavirus Quarantine
Two migrants were injured following a mass brawl in a German asylum home currently under quarantine due to confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus.
The violence took place on Monday evening and saw two groups of asylum seekers in the home, located in the town of Halberstadt, come to blows. Local police said that the violence was preceded by an evening of threats between the two parties.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greece to Expand Turkish Border Fence, Claims Turks Shot at Greek Police
The Greek government will expand the border fence along the Evros river in preparation for a fresh migrant wave and claimed that Turkish officials fired at Greek police earlier this month.
The plan to extend the border fence comes as part of new legislation aimed at tackling the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus and outlined that Greek authorities will build the border fence extension “regardless of the expenditure budget”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Woman and Infant Child Spat on by Fighting-Age Foreign Men
A mother and her infant child are now in complete quarantine after being spat on by a pair of foreign men while cycling down the street in De Gouw toward the Dutch municipality of Enkhuizen.
The woman and her one-year-old son were spat on at around 5:30pm on Saturday by two fighting-age foreigners who were riding scooters. The victim and her infant child will both stay in quarantine for two weeks, per the order of the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Border Officer Begs for Testing of Airport Arrivals for Coronavirus
A British Border Force officer has begged for testing of airport arrivals over fears of incoming Chinese coronavirus cases, as criticism mounts that while Britons are in house lockdown the country’s external borders remain open.
Speaking anonymously for fear of losing his job, the Heathrow border patrol officer toldITV on Wednesday: “We’ve got to start testing people at the airport as soon as they land. And we can easily catch the plane and just do temperature checks. We can easily do it. Just give us the equipment, and we’ll do it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Feminist Says Coronavirus Shows ‘It’s Time to Abolish the Family’
Sophie Lewis, a scholar at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research and a frequent speaker at American universities, wrote an article suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic should push Americans to abolish the family.
In an opinion editorial published by Open Democracy in late March, Lewis argues that “the private family qua mode of social reproduction still, frankly, sucks. It genders, nationalizes and races us. It norms us for productive work. It makes us believe we are ‘individuals’…”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Land O’Lakes Quietly Removes Indian Maiden Mascot From Packaging After 100 Years
Land O’Lakes has quietly removed its famed Native American woman mascot from its packages of butter, bringing an end to 100 years of the iconic packaging.
The company has not directly said why it made the marketing decision, though in February it said it was updating its packaging in order to reflect “the foundation and heart” of the farmer-owned company.
The new packaging will prominently display “Farmer-Owned” over the logo. It will also depict a scene of a tranquil lake without any human beings.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Suspends InfoWars Reporter Owen Shroyer and News Director Rob Dew
Infowars has faced constant censorship since its main accounts were purged from most of the major social media platforms in 2018.
And now the accounts of two Infowars employees, Owen Shroyer and Rob Dew, have been suspended on Twitter.
Shroyer had over 162,000 followers when his account was suspended while Dew had more than 68,000.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic is Being Used to Create a Digital Surveillance Society
Governments are imposing new digital surveillance tools to track and monitor individuals. Many citizens have welcomed tracking technology intended to bolster defenses against the novel coronavirus. Yet some privacy advocates are wary, concerned that governments might not be inclined to unwind such practices after the health emergency has passed.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Land O Lakes removed the indian maiden from their packaging?
Just a matter of time before they replace her with a Somali woman wearing a shash surrounded by her couple dozen kids, and a prominent halal certification.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress: So, Land of Land Mines?
I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. — Professor Bernardo de la Paz, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlien
Precisely
“One Year Later, Cause of Notre Dame Fire Remains a Mystery” that just means it was arson by the invaders. Had they found some other cause, they would’ve let us know.
Old oak does not burn easily, even when surrounded by flames. When Hampton Court Palace caught fire the oak beams were found to be charred on the outside, but otherwise intact and safe to continue to bear weight. They were left in place.
What happened was to be expected: the migrants who were left without earnings began to attack the weaker and defenseless.
A migrant with a knife attacked two women in Peterhof on April 16.
First, the attacker attacked a 72-year-old woman in a house on Suvorovskaya Street. The victim was taken to a hospital in serious condition. Doctors are fighting for her life.
After some time, in another house on the same street, an unknown person hit a 46-year-old woman and took her a thousand rubles, as well as the keys to the car and the house.
On suspicion of committing crimes, police detained a 21-year-old native of one of the Central Asian republics. Now the issue of initiating a criminal case is being decided.
https://spb.mk.ru/incident/2020/04/17/migrant-s-nozhom-napal-na-dvukh-zhenshhin-v-petergofe.html
Excuse my language, but “the Hong Kong-based Deep Knowledge Group’s research chart” is truly idiotic. Switzerland (8.6 million, 26.7 thousand cases, 1.3 thousand dead) is 2nd safest – and Slovakia (5.5 million, 977 cases, 8 dead) is 20th… Netherlands (17 million, 29 thousand cases, 3.3 thousand dead) is 5th and Poland (38 million, 8 thousand cases, 317 dead) is 17th… Belgium (11 million, 36 thousand cases, 5.2 thousand dead) is 8th, while Bulgaria (7.0 million, 825 cases, 40 dead) is 27th. The Deep Knowledge of Hong Kong seems to come from somewhere deep in the bull’s body.
Greece to Expand Turkish Border Fence, Claims Turks Shot at Greek Police
The war goes on,in the Aegean archipelago now,and along the eastern islands.The Turks try to bring to Europe people infected with the virus.
As long as Germany supports Turkey,Erdogan will not stop.
He wants money from EE and replacement of the natives.
Wishful thinking!
“The Turks try to bring to Europe people infected with the virus”
Yes, this seems to be true: Biological warfare? Turkey attempts to send coronavirus infected migrants to Greece
Terrible what this dumb Pope has done to compromise the value of the individual soul to placate the mad tyrant in Beiping. China’s now more of a captive nation, Francis, thanks to you. Most Catholics eagerly await your retirement. We’ll even give you an old Yugo to go shopping?
Feminist Says Coronavirus Shows ‘It’s Time to Abolish the Family’
That means that these women must be completely unattractive,or they must have a very unhappy childhood.
It is a blessing to be a woman,having children and later in life having grandchildren.
There is no happiness outside a family.I pity them.
But not in third world countries or Asia where they breed and breed and caused so much unhappiness with their oppressive and exploitive third world mentality. Why are the having children when their societies constantly spread brutality and dysfunction to their children.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-plans-stricter-citizenship-rules/a-53159588
Drones watching over comrades jogging? I bet no vibrant diverse enrichers have to worry about such snooping.
Hmmm…notice how the yellow vest protests are over in the people’s republic of France?
Netflix will show up as connected to wireless when the teevee is off but China is our ally comrade.
All of my games are moldy and vintage with emulators or DosBox needed just to play them.
The greatest video game ever is always ongoing and it is called life.
This Safety Über Alles world is going to get spanked by Mother Nature like an unruly stepchild.
An infectious disease hospital in a country that was robbed by a Botox dwarf and his associates. But this dwarf sends planes with humanitarian aid to Serbia and Italy.
https://www.facebook.com/100012149736401/videos/930926953988954/
She did have an unhappy childhood — or at least the had set her issues. What is unfortunate is that the rest of us get confronted by her nonsense while she sorts herself out. She is sensational, but her ideas are not very interesting.
That should have read “father issues”.